Ram Rahim Gets 20 Years Of Jail Sentence For Raping 2 Sadhvis

On 28th August 2017, the court gave the final verdict against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan. He has been accused of rape, murder and forced castrations. The latest of his controversy that the whole world is looking at is when on 25th August 2017, he was convicted of rape by a special CBI court.The man of the moment is special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, who convicted the Dera head guilty even after all the threats. He took the brave decision even after knowing about what happened to the whistleblower journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, the man who earlier exposed Ram Rahim and his inappropriate acts and was later murdered. So, let's get a brief about the story.

What is the case all about?

According to the sources, Ram Rahim has been called up in many controversies in past 15 years. In 2002, one of his female followers wrote an anonymous letter to the Prime Minister of India Atal Vajpayee accusing Singh of sexual abuse. In the same year, he was charged under the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who was writing articles about Dera Sacha Sauda at that time, and for the murder of Dera Sacha Sauda manager Ranjit Singh. On August 2017, he was found guilty of two counts of rape.

The superhero judge

Jagdeep Singh was announced as the judge of CBI special judge last year. It was 2012 when he joined Harnaya judicial services and was posted in Sonepat. This is his second posting. He addresses both civil and criminal cases between 2000 and 2012.

Highest level of security

For his this case when he is about to give the verdict, the Haryana government has been ordered by the home ministry to provide him the highest level of security. This is to protect him from all the threat perception after he delivered the verdict against the Dera head.

All roads to the Sonaria Jail were sealed

According to the reports, section 144 has been imposed in 11 districts of Delhi. IGP Rohtak Range has warned that if any unidentified person tries to go near the high-security Sunaria jail where Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been lodged, a shoot at sight order can be implemented against them. Rohtak Superintendent of Police (SP) Pankal Nain said, "All roads to the Sonaria Jail have been sealed and the morale of the police is pretty good."

The verdict was announced near the Sunaria jail

The verdict was sentenced near the Sunaria jail where a small court room has been setup. The CBI Judge is being flown into the special courtroom setup. Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s legal practitioners consist of six lawyers, among which SK Narwana is the head.

Now updates from the final verdict

During the final hearing, Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh allotted 10 minutes each to both sides for keeping their final arguments. In which, Prosecution demands maximum punishment for rape convict Ram Rahim. Defence, on the other hand, argued Ram Rahim is a “social worker” who has worked for the welfare of people.

The final verdict

CBI court sentences Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh 10-10 years in jail for each rape. "Judge announced 10 years of imprisonment and Rs 15 lakh fine each in two cases. Rs 14 lakh each to be paid to both victims," SK Narwana, Ram Rahim Singh's lawyer said.

When Dera Sacha Sauda leader was found guilty on Friday...

Earlier, when The 50-year-old Dera Sacha Sauda leader was found guilty on Friday, within minutes his followers created a riot in the place. The result was 38 people dead and 250 injured. While 32 people were killed in Panchkula, where the case was heard, six died in Sirsa, the headquarters of the sector.

Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati

It was journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati who exposed the rapes of two women at Dera headquarters in Sirsa 15 years ago. Months after when Chhatrapati published an anonymous letter giving details about how women were sexually harassed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim at Sirsa ashram, he was shot from point-blank range right outside his house on October 24, 2002.

A lonely battle to get justice

According to the sources, "My father, Ram Chander, was an advocate before he became a journalist. He has worked with a number of media organisations. He was not satisfied with the kind of journalism in those organisations because of the filtration by editors so he opened his own publication titled 'Poora Sachh'. He had exposed the alleged rape of 'sadhvis' (female followers) at the Dera 15 years ago with a concerned letter which was addressed to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee," says Anshul Chhatrapati, son of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.

Still looking for justice...

"On Oct 24, 2002, my father was attacked; he was shot five times by two people. I was 21 then and did not know where to go for justice after the police did not include the name of the Dera chief in the FIR. My father fought for life in the hospital for 28 days after they pumped bullets into his body, and he had named the Dera chief as the accused in his statement to the local police. But the cops did not include the Dera chief's name in the FIR, and the legal battle began from there. The concerned revolver was licensed in the name of Dera Sacha Sauda," Anshul reportedly said.The son is still looking for justice. And the final verdict is out sentencing him jail for 20 years. But do you think it's enough?For suggestions, reach out to me at guneet@wittyfeed.com.